Education, like science, is an ever progressing field of endeavor. It was not too long ago that an ideal learning situation was considered to be the one-classroom school with a well trained and dedicated teacher overseeing the endeavors of a group of students of varying levels of academic achievement and of varying, often widespread, ages.
The uniform classroom environment then became the norm. Students, all of approximately the same age and level of academic achievement, were grouped within a classroom in a school housing many such classrooms. Further grouping, by academic ability rather than age and mere academic achievement, became desirable. Special Education classes were established for the intellectually gifted student. Unfortunately, such programs are expensive, involve a very small pupil-to-teacher-ratio, and require the teacher to devote a great deal of personal attention to each individual student. Relatively few school systems were affluent enough to maintain such a Special Education system.
With the aid and assistance of National and Local Governments, Special Education for the mentally and physically handicapped has flourished. Special Education programs for the intellectually gifted have withered for lack of such support. Thus, while ideally a student is encouraged and provided the means for advancing academically at a pace that matches the student's abilities, it is the unfortunate truth that the bulk of our students are grouped within classes in which the level of instruction and the learning materials provided are geared to the lesser-academically-able students.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a student with the method and apparatus for learning at the student's own pace.
It is another object of the invention to provide a student with lesson data presented at the skill level at which the student is capable of learning.
Another object of the invention is to provide the student with reinforcement of as much of the lesson material as the student has actually experienced difficulty in assimilating.
It is an object of the invention that a student shall interact with a data retrieval system in a manner which encourages the achievement of the above noted objectives.